The Awen from Nature: Catching Stories, Paintings, Songs, and other Creations from the Land

Throughout the ages, poets, writers, musicians, painters and many others sought inspiration from the land for their creative works.  For the ancient poet Taliesin, the Awen was found in nature–in the voice in the wind and the babble of the brook. While we humans gain so much from nature (food, nourishment, wisdom, connection), one thing that is often overlooked by your average person is the direct inspiration that nature can provide.  Both in terms of being inspired by nature but also in being a direct channel to the voices and spirits of nature.  Druids and those others who hold nature in reverence are the opposite of the average person–we are seeking connections, wisdom, and inspiration all the time!

But, do we have good tools for seeking inspiration in nature? Tools that can be taught, work fairly consistently, and that can be passed down?  As far as I am aware, no.  It is certainly something that is covered in multiple druid curricula (including both OBOD and AODA) but I think the general consensus is “go into nature, seek inspiration.”  So while this is something we all do, what we do or how we do it is not clear. I have made the case before about how we have a lot less theories and knowledge about the Bardic arts as the Druid or Ovate arts in the Druid tradition.  I feel like there’s a lot we still need to figure out about how to cultivate and support the bardic arts, the magical nature of Awen, and the development of bards on the path of creativity. I have been beating this drum for a while, and I started to address some of this lack of understanding with my Mount Haemus talk on the bardic arts.  I also am slowly working on a book on the bardic arts to help fill in some of these holes, but these things are taking a long time to research and test out.  Today I want to try to plug yet another hole–digging deeply into specific methods that help us connect with the living earth for creative inspiration.  (If you have specific questions about the bardic arts or see other holes we can work to plug up, please share in the comments!)

This is also my invitation to anyone who has practices that work for them on this topic–can you please share those practices? I would love to compile a set of practices that work.  Then I can update this article and also share these ideas with the broader druid community, including through the curriculum and journal of the Ancient Order of Druids in America!

So in the rest of this post, I’m going to use information from a few places: one, 20-year commitment to magical arts and creative practices (with my primary disciplines being visual art (watercolor, leatherwork, pyrography, botanical illustration), writing, and music (flute, drum)).  Two,  in my day job I am a learning researcher who studies writers, and I’ve been working on some new projects that explore things like creative inspiration and flow states with both student and professional writers–so I have some data and also have been reading on this body of literature.  It is fascinating stuff and I think we druids could learn a lot from this body of work!  Third, the data I collected on the bardic arts through the Mount Haemus bardic arts project, and finally, I have my role in the druid community–as Grand Archdruid in the Ancient Order of Druids and as someone who has been in a leadership role in druidry over 10 years, I also just have a chance to talk to people from a wide variety of walks of life who are taking up bardic practices, see how those practices manifest through things like their end-of-degree reflections and have conversations with them.  So given all of this, I think I’m well-suited to try to take on some of these more edgy bardic topics.

This is part of my bardic arts series of posts, exploring the connections between nature, creative practices, and spirituality.  Here are some of the other posts: Taking up the path of the bard part 1, part 2, and part 3; cultivating awen in your life, bardic storytelling, bardic arts and the ancestors, creativity and mental health, visioning the future, creation as deepening relationship with the world.  I’ll also point readers to my 2019 OBOD Mount Hameus lecture on the bardic arts in the druid tradition!

The Awen of Nature

When anyone takes up the path of the bard–the creative path–one of the things that is central to that path is the Awen.  The Awen is conceptualized in a number of different ways including: Awen is flowing inspiration; Awen is the spark of a new idea; Awen can flow at any point but we can be worthy vessels for Awen; and Awen also is the flow state that you can channel, getting deeply immersed in your creative practice. We druids often chant “Awen” (Ah – oh – wen). Having a spark of inspiration is one form of the “Awen” that druids seek–being inspired to create, compose, move, and express.

The Ancient Druids understood Awen as a force of creation that came from the divine.  So not only is Awen a creative force, it is THE creative force.  Awen flowing within you is the same energy as that of the germination of the seed!  So when you are tapping into the Awen, you are tapping into the divine creative force in the universe, as channeled through nature.

So this brings me to nature–nature is the ultimate expression of that divine creative force.  Think about the barren composition of the other celestial bodies in this ecosystem–they are barren of life.  Think about how life will literally spring up everywhere on this planet.  From the deep sea volcanic vents, to inside a cave, to how life returns after a forest fire–that is what nature does.

When we put these two things together it becomes obvious that since so much creative life force is flowing through nature at all times, we can better tap into this Awen for inspiration by seeking inspiration from nature.

You in Nature

What does nature to do people when they immerse themselves in it? You probably don’t need me to tell you as it is likely the reason you are reading this blog is because you already have an answer to this question. But I will share a bit of the research on it because it is fascinating.  Time in nature is cross-culturally understood to promote human health: this includes increased cognitive function, increased physical activity, decreased cardiovascular disease, reduction of depression and anxiety, and reduction of chronic disease. Even more fascinating, one study in Germany found that species diversity specifically promoted better mental health–our subconscious knows we need an ecosystem to thrive.

So if we think about all of those benefits–including supporting higher cognitive function, and reducing depression and anxiety–these directly address two of the major reasons that people may not create or get a creative block.  When nature uplifts us and energizes us, we are going to see much more creative energy coming forth!

Your Creativity in Nature

So now that we have some ideas of how awesome nature time is for our general health, I’m now going to share some specific ideas for how you can connect with nature for creative inspiration.

One of the things I like to think about as I go out into nature to be inspired is that these plants, animals, birds, trees, and stones have been around for a really long time.  I live on the Appalachian mountains, these are some of the oldest mountains on the planet, having formed when Pangea existed.  So when I go out, I realize that there are countless stories that these mountains of heard. There are stories that have been lost and perhaps nature wants someone to share that story again. There are stories from the different healing or poisonous plants, from the animals, from the river, from the clouds. There also may be messages–things that nature really wants someone to share, and nature has decided you are a good person to share it. Or there’s just an opportunity to showcase reverence, awe, and beauty of the living earth. All of these reasons–and more–are why people’s creativity is fed by nature!

Creating in Nature

One of the time-tested methods for being inspired by nature is epitomized in the “en plein air” (which just means “outside” in French).  Go outside, and take your creative tools with you. Create.  It is really that simple.  Create what you see, create what you hear, create what you feel.  I get a lot of songs on my flute this way–just going into a space, starting to listen to the ambient sounds, and then picking up little riffs and seeing where they go.  I also sometimes take a pen and paper, or my paints.  One of my favorite things to do is if I’ll be somewhere a while, I create some natural art supplies and create with those.  A few years ago, I was hanging out on the shore of Lake Huron with a friend, and I made paint from rocks, and even a little feather brush. It was so much fun.

Recording Nature’s Inspiration for Later

You may not always have the opportunity to create outside directly, but you can bring that inspiration back with you. I always recommend taking something that can help you record your ideas for later. A little pocket notebook is an outstanding thing to take with you always!  Bring these back and then explore them further.

Catching Stories, Songs, and Creations

I learned this one from my friend Nate Summers (we have a co-authored book coming out next year together on nature spirituality, rewilding and re-enchantment).  He told me that as a survival skills instructor when he takes people out onto the land, not only do they lose their minds in a good way, but they often end up spontaneously receiving stories, songs, or other inspiration.  Just being out on the land and being open to receiving is enough for many people–even those who are new to the experience–to “catch” these stories. Part of this is just being open and outside. So go outside, spend some time there, and see what you can create!

Creating at Significant Natural Times

Back in April during the eclipse my mom, dad, and I all brought paints to explore as we waited for totality during the eclipse. While the eclipse was going on, I painted all of these wild dark eclipses with colors around them.  The energy felt fine at the time, but a few days later in my studio, I realized what power they held! Very wild energy…I have been careful with those paintings and where they end up (and no, I’m not posting one of them on the blog or instagram, they are too intense!)  But I also do the same thing for major points in the wheel of the year -full moons, the big eight holidays (e.g. sunrise on the solstice), other days of significance–just open up some space to create and see what happens.

Creativity Ceremonies in Nature

You can take any of the options above and then ritualize them to add to the magic.  The most simple ceremony is just to chant the Awen in nature (Ah-oh-en) and envision the inspiration of nature flowing into you.  You can also do more elaborate things like opening up and creating in a sacred grove, exploring your creativity through nature mandalas, or

Honoring the Gifts Given

I think one of the most important parts of this entire process is to honor the inspiration that is offered to you by creating the piece that you were inspired to do.  Don’t let these ideas sit around–the more you create and bring things forth, the more Awen will flow into your life! Share these with others and put the messages into the world.

I hope you enjoyed this post–I’d really love to hear how you have worked to find inspiration from nature–the techniques you use, the wisdom you have to share.  Thank you and happy creating!